Illuminating projectile



Jllly 29, 1952 P. FRIEDER ET'AL 2,604,849

ILLUMINATING PROJECTILE Filed May 20, 1947 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 INVENTORS LEO/vapo R FAI/EDE? WALTER s. F/NKEN July 29, 1952 L.. P. FRIEDER ETAL ILLUMINATING PROJECTILE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 20, 1947 MDK N mi.. Q m? m V.. T mi. Q

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Patented July 29, 1952 f UNITED 4 STATES PATENT OFFICE e ILLUMINATIN G PROJECTILE Leonard P. Frieder, vLong Island, and Walter Si. Finken, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of the United States Application May 20, 1947, Serial No. 749,228

-V'Our invention relates to illuminating projectilesand more particularly a projectile adapted to-be red from a riiledigunrbarrel at high velocity, Which'projectile is tted'with a fuse adapted to ignite acharge to Vexpel a iiare together with a parachute for supporting' it whereby to illuminate apreselected terrain atany desired point in the trajectory of the projectile.

In the illuminating projectiles of the vprior art, it has been necessary to provide them with aius'e which will function to ignite a charge to expela separable canister, housing a flare VVand a parachute vfor'supporting it, at a point in the trajectory ofthe'projectile where the velocity of motion hasbeen.reduced considerably;V Furthermore,-the1 trajectory has Ybeen'such that the angle ci departure has been-fairly high. When it vhas been attempted to iii-e illuminating"*pro jectiles vof the prior' art withlattrajectories or when? it Shas beenfattempted' lto accelerate the expulsionvof the iiar'eiirom the mother projectilegthe attempts lha've attended with *fail-v ure. `The' principall-c'ausebf these failures `have .beendue to-*two inain-lreas'onsff The"r mother -projectile gyrate's. around-its .longitudinal axis due to the limpetusof'the' iriiiing inv the l gun barrel. When the expulsion :chargein the' mother fp'rojectile expels the "se'parable` canister-containing the .parachute and fthe flare, Lboth the parachute pack and" theiiare are rotatingV at `the 'fsame velocity, at! the instant Aof.-`expulsion.v lThe' {para-y chute, however, tends: to' open 'immediately and since "it iis lighter @in .Weight-and greater in area than the are..chamber',fits lrotation is LVery rapidly retarded while'thefsi-lare canister con- .tinues -.to gyrate under rits' greater Avmomentum andv Velocity. This vdifferential rotation is normally neutralized to someextentby a ball bearing swivel between :the ilarecanister and-the parachute.:` When ,theparachute opens, however, the parachute tends to becomefthecenter around which. the:` canister gyrat'es;A The uncompensated differentialr vaxialv rotation and the radial gyra- .tion cause the shroudlines lliinkingthe parachute to 1thef`1iiare chamber 'tov become-twisted; thus fouling the parachute land openingproperlyanerem a 1reft'arding member Y -j :In :those -c'zas'e'sI where thefoul-ing V'of `the shroudl -linshas been linsuiiicient to Y prevent vthe parachute from opening,V the shockof opening early 21 Claims. (Cl. 102-60) mentibe'tweenthe parachute almzl'the"canister.l

'One object of our invention is to provide an illuminating projectile which may be set to expel the flare and the parachute at any desired point in its trajectory and operate with certainty and precision by overcoming the failures exhibited by the illuminatingprojectiles of the prior art.

Another object of our vinvention is to provide an illuminating projectile which may be fired along a much flatter trajectory than has been heretofore lpossible with illuminating projectiles.

A further object of our invention iis-to provide an'illuminating projectile in which the twisting of the shroud lines is prevented.

O-ther and further objects of our invention will'appear from thetiollowing description.

In general our invention contemplates the use of a parachute having a hemispherical'canopy and a iioating hem cord such -as described in United States patent to Walter S.-Finken, 2,412,- 392, dated ADecember 10, 1946, for supporting an illuminating candle nare or Ythe like. The parachute andV the flare are assembled in a separable canister and retained in assembled position by releaseable means. We provide means for releasingthe retainingV means after a predetermined interval suiiicient to permit the gyration or rotation of the separable Vcanister Yassembly after expulsion from thevmother vshellto diminish to such point that the .danger of'twisting or fouling the :shroud lines by differential rotation between the vsupport-,ing .parachute and the supported flare is obviated. In order to reduce .the time interval we mayifsdesired provideretarding iins adapted to, dampthe rotation of the canister so thatit will reachv a slower speed'more quickly. Then, too, the nns 4reduce the orbital effect of. the canister traveling around the parachute with the shroud lines as .a radius. A pilot parachute is provided to stream the rmain parachute quickly when theseparable canister is .permitted to Apart and further to reduce loss of altitude of the canister duringthe Yinterval of delay between its expulsion in assembled form and its release iorseparation -Y In the accompanying drawings which Hform part ofthe instant speci-c'ation and which are tofb read'inlccnjuncun therewith andra-Winch like reference Lnufn'era-ls areV usedto indicate-like parts Ain y-the Various views: y

"Figure I1 is a sectional view of anilluminatirjg projectile showing one embodiment loi our invenim. 'Figure i2 isan elevation .O f the @einer bly removed. fro Figure 13 S 3 3 ofFigure Figure 4 is a view of a detail showing the fusible link which holds the canister assembly in assembled position.

Figure 5 is a perspective View showing one of the separable canister. elements. A

Figure 6 is a'perspective view with a part broken away of one of the springs adapted to hold the split sleeves in assembled position.

Figure 7 is a perspective view with a part broken away of the other of the springs adapted to hold the split sleeves in assembled position.

More particularly, referring now to the drawings, the illuminating projectile comprises a body B of any desired cross sectional shape forming the main portion of a shell adapted to be fired from a rifled g-un barrel. Rotating bands I0 and I2 of copper or the like are provided, asis well known to the art. The rotating bands coacting with the riiling of the gun barrel rotate the entire =projectile as it passesnthrough the gun barrel.A AThe base of the projectile is closed by a base plate I4 normally secured to the body 8 by means of metal shear pins I6. A time fuse I8 of any suitable construction is adapted to be screwed into the ogive 20 of theprojectile. The forward portion of the projectile is loaded with an expulsion charge 22 of any suitable propellant or explosive. A cylindrical sleeve 24 is lodged within the body of propellant 22 to supporta metal plate 26. The metal plate 2liv is provided with blow holes 28. A heavy paper ring 30 rests upon the metal plate 26. Afelt -washer 32 covered With an upper paper layer 34 and a lower layer 36 is supported by the ring 30. The felt washer 32 is providedvwith la plurality of ports 38 communicating with the blow holes4 2 8. Resting upon the heavy paper ring 30, we providel a pair of semi-cylindrical sleeves 40 and 4I', one of which is shown in perspective in- Figure 5. The sleeves are held in assembled relation by any appropriate means. We prefer to use a pair of elongated spring members 4.2 and 4 3 which are retained in assembled position by means of a fusible link indicated generally bythe reference numeral, 44. The canister formed by the semicylindrical-sleeves, held in assembled position bythe springs 42 and 43 and the fusiblelink 44,' form a housing in the upper part of which We lodge `a parachute 46y provided with shroud lines 48 secured at their'lower ends to av metal swivel member 50. The lower portion of the housing formed by the .separable sleeves 40 and 4| houses' a container 52 inA which is positioned the illuminating charge 54 of any appropriate type. The upper wall 56 of the container is formed with a bossi 58 to which is secured a socket member 60 which, together with the swivel member 50, forms -a parachute connection between thle parachute and the ilare container 52. The upper portions of the sleeves 40 and 4|v are formed with a groove 62, in which a paper cover disk 64 is adapted to seat. The base plate I4 of the projectile is provided with a rabbet 66 adapted to hold a pilot parachute or disk 68 to the upper peripheryI of thesleeves-40 and 4|. If 65 desired, the upper'suriace 'I0 of the splitsleeves may be formedwith a rabbetl2 to receive the edge of the pilot parachute-.or disk 68. The pilot parachute or disk has itsfshroud lines 'II con- 4 as can readily be seen by reference to Figures 2 and 3. These fms normally lie closely adjacent to the outside of the walls of the split sleeves 40 and 4 I and are formed of light metal having suiicient inherentelasticity to move ,outwardly to the position shown in Figure 3 .when the canister assembly is expelled from the mother shell.

The lower portion of container 52 is provided with a time delay charge 82 separated from the illuminating charge 54 by means of a combustible partition, provided With a fuse port 86. The fusible link indicated' generally by reference numeral 44 is positioned Within the time delay charge 82, as can readily be seen by reference to Figure 1. The powder charge 82 may be cast with the fuse rods assembled therein. If desired, the charge 82 may be formed with a recess through which nected tothe upper portion ofthe main parathe rods may be passed. The fusible link comprises an internally threaded ferrule 88 adapted to seat in the elongated'spring rmember 42 and a similar internally threaded ferrule 90 adapted to seat in the elongated spring member 43. A wire 92 has one end thereof threadedly positioned in the ferrule 88. A wire 94 has its end threadedly positioned in the ferrule 90. The wires 92 and 94 are formed with hook portions 96 and 98 normally secured to each other by means of a low melting body of solder |00. The releasable means for retaining the split sleeves may be made of a continuous strip of fusible metal or of a textile cord such as nylon, silk, cotton, ramie or the like which will melt or burn to release the sleeves.

Referring now to Figure 5. the split sleeve 40 is formed with an upper flange |02 on the upper surface 10 of which the pilot parachute normally rests. The recessv |04 formed by the downwardly extending portion of the ilange |02 is adapted to receive the upper edges |06 and |08 of the elongated spring members 42 and 43. Each of the sleeves 40 and 4| are provided with an internal shoulder I|0, upon which the upper portion of the flare container 5,2 is 4adapted. to rest. Recesses I|2.and ||4 are provided -inthe edges of the split sleevesA to permit the-passage of the ferrules 88 and 90. Theglower flanges II6 of the split sleevesrest directly uponfthe paper ring 30 which supported by the metal plate 26. The lower surface of thevbase plate I4 rests upon the upper flange i thesplit sleeves 40 and 4|. It will be seen that besides forming a housing for the ilare and parachute, the split sleeves act as thrust transmitting members through which the force of the expulsion charge 22 acts to shear pins I6 and drive oi the; base plate I4.

It is tobe understood that any suitable means for holding the split sleeves-in vassembled position may be employedv as, for example, wires, straps or the like. The securing means'is normally held in secured Iposition by'means yof a fusible connection adapted to' be released after the passage of a predetermined period of time. It is to be understood further that While we have shown a powder train to introduce the time delay, any equivalent means for introducing time delay to release the split sleeves A,may be employed.

- --For purposes of` illustratione we show the-means for securing the split sleeves ipo-'comprise va pair of elongated spring members shown in Figures 6 and 7. The lower edge I |.8Vof spring member 42 and the lower edge |20 of-spring member 43 are normally semi-circular in shape, and lie along a radius fwhichisfshorter than theradius of the external` surface ofthe .spl'it'sleeve members 40 gnam'. i The,'upper edg'splos and Instr the elongated. spring members. .42 and '43, fwhen. in

untensioned position, lieA along the. locus. of an ellipse whose major axis is slightly lessY than .the external diameter ofthe assembled split sleeves 40 and 4I. A'I-he elongated ,spring members 42 and 43 are vformed oflightspring metal.. They are provided withupper and'lower tapered cor-y rugationsy |22 and I24. ."Ihedepth` of'the corru- Vgations increases from lateral edges', 14 4and 1=6 toward a position intermediate the. edges; that the corrugations are greates'tat theV center line and tapered'to zero at theedges. v,These grooves lend stiiness' tothe elongatedspring members 42 and 43. l y

In the assembly-of the elongatedspring members around the split Vcanisterformed by the members 40 and 4I,- the upper edges I0@ and-|08 are seated inthegroove-ll04 iformedby' the ange |02. To accomplish this,` thesupper 4peripheries |06 andv |08 ofthe elongatedspring members 42 and y43 mustA be forced'around a Ycylinderof larger diameter. The spring members tend to contract camming them from the curved surface presented by the assembled vsplit sleeves -40 and 4I. vSince the lower peripheries I I8 and `I 20of the elongated spring members are of smallerdiameter than the upper peripheries |00 andA lytheflower peripheries must bestretched' through'a greater amplitude to be lforced around/thecylindrical surface presented by the assembled` split `sleeves 40 and 4I. VThe split sleeves therefore inassembled position are Aunder a graduated tension,

the tension being greater at the lower end; V-The tendency for the spring members is to cam out from the 'cylindricalsurface off the assembled split canister under the inherentl tension of the spring members. This tendency isresistedad# jacent the upper Vperipheries of the elongated spring members by the groove- |04.V The lowerends of" the 'elongated'V spring members'l are normally prevented iroin moving'I out bythe fusible link '44. Accordingly, the-assembled canister will appear as shown in Figure 2. 1j

I n operation the projectile ris assembled as shown in'Figure 1.j The fuse isset for the desired point "of the trajectory at which the expulsioneof the flare or Villuminating candle i's'toV occur. When the projectile islfi'red the fuse I8 is armed and its timedela'y initiated as is well knownV to the art. The fuse 181s adapted after a predetermined delay to ignite the expulsion charge 22. Ther ignition of this charge Aforces the plate 26 rearwardly toward" the base-{"The split canister transmits the thrust of this expulsion to the base plate I4 shearing"A the relativelysoftmetal'pins IB, expelling the assembly comprising the split canister held in position by theelongated springs from the interior of the mother projectile 8h The base plate I4 being heavier dropsawayfreeing the pilot parachute' 68. A lanyard 1Iv attached to the apex of the pilot chute extends Within the master parachute compartment to a point'of attachment on the master parachute load linefadjacentV the swivel 50. This permits! the Vpilot chute to carry the load priorfto the opening of the split canister and the release of the master canopy. The iins -80'extend'fromtheir housed position, acting to damp themultiple gyratio-ns of the assembly. The pilot parachute tends to reduce the velocitylfof travel of the assembly. The ignition vof the' expulsiony *chargeV 22v blows through the blow holes 28 and through .the ports 38 to ignitethe time delayA powder. charge '82 which burns progressively over a predetermined period ottime'. '.Therate of'burningis dependent, of course. on lthe chemical composition-of the 6 .constituents of the powder. its. physical condition and the pressure vunder which itt-is packed, asis well knowntothe art. .As thepowder burns, the entire assembly-is heldin its assembled position, shown in Figure. When the powder reaches the position ofthe fusiblelink, the heat of ,burning will, melt thesolder |00. We may employ, for-examplea solder melting in the vicinity of 370 E'. The outward force developed by the elongatedfspring members 42 and 43 tends to move the arms 96 and 98 of the wires 92 and 94 toward-each other. Thisis resistedV by the solder I100gwhich is positioned; therebetween. As soon as" the solder meltsv the lower portions of the spring members 42 and 43 spring outwardly, tilting the free edges ofthe upper surfaces |06 and i08- of thef elongated spring members 42 and 43. The. action'is progressive from bottom to top of the split sleeves occupying a very short interval of time. 'Ihe elongated spring members thereforeare hurled outwardly free of the split canister. Thertime which elapsed between the expulsion yof thecanister from the mother shell and the. Vreleasing oi the Velongated spring members is sufficiently long so that the canister no longer rotates or gyrates at such high velocity as to causetfouling of the-shrouds of the main supporting.` parachute when it opens.` kAs soon as the spring members are thrown clear, the residual centrifugal forceA of such rotation as4 remains throws the canister members-40 and 4I outwardly freeing the parachute and are container `52. When .a long period of time delay is employed, the centrifugalv force-is reduced and the split sleeves freethe master parachute falling` away by gravity. The Idisk 6.4 is likewise freed of the grooves 52 formed in the internal wall'of the split sleeve members 40 and 4I. The pilotparachute now .streams the main parachute anditwisting of the shrouds is lprevented bythe swivel joint between the shroud lines andthe container 52. In the meantime, the powder train =82 has ignited the. fiare material 54 through the fuse port 86 and the flare candle lperforms its function of lilluminating vthe surrounding terrain. It is to be understood,-of course,Y that the entire assembly is still .travelingforward at considerablevelocity. Our parachuteconstruction, however, is such as to takejthis shock due tothe principles of construction of the parachute as taught in the Finken Patent 2,412,392, referred to above.l

While we have shown .the use of a pair of ns forslowing the rotation ofthe canister assembly after expulsion, a larger number of fins may be employed. In suchcase thens may be attached to thelelongated spring members if desired.

It will be seen that weA have accomplished the objects of our invention. We have provided an illuminating projectile which may be set to expel afcanister'comprising a flareand a parachute at any desired point in its trajectory without incurring the danger of failure by fouling of the parachute shrouds or by failure of the parachute itself; We have provided an illuminating pro-` jectile which may be fired along a much flatter trajectory than has heretofore been possible with illuminating projectiles. prevents `the fouling of the shroud lines. The split canister opens :with precision after a predetermined period of time at` which the'gyration of the canister and parachute `assembly `has been reducedtol a point at which the swivel connection between the parachutejandthe illuminating candle issuicient to preventfouling of` the shroudlines. f j

Our timedelay feature a -It'fwillib'e understood thaticertain features and s'ub'-"cc'mbination's are'of utility andmaybe em'- ployedwithout'reference to otherv features and sub-combmations.' This is contemplated by and within .the scope of thev claims. It is further obvi'o'usl that variousch'anges may. be made in details within the scope of the claims without departingfromthe spirit of Ythe invention. It is. therefore,v to be understood that this invention is not to'be limited'to thespeciflc details shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, we'claim:

1. A projectileincluding in'combin'ation aprojectile body" formed' with a chamber, a cover plate for closing' said lcharnber, Y releasable holding means lfor securing` said-cover plate in chamberclosing position, a canister positioned in said chamber, said' canister comprising a sleeve formed by a plurality of separable members, a parachute housed within said canister, a body Within said canister adapted to be supported by the parachute, `'means for connecting said body to said vpara'chute,.means forholding said separable members in assembled position, an expelling charge for 'ejecting said canister from said chamber, a'fusevfor i'gniting said expelling charge. at a predetermined point in the travel of said projectile' and time delay means lfor rendering said releasable holding means-inoperative after a predetermined interval of time following expulsion of the canister from said chamber. i

y 2,'A projectile as in claim 1' in which said means for releasably securingvsaid cover 'plate comprises a plurality of shear pins.

` v3. A yprojectile asin claim 1 in which said separable members are formed with portions of dif- 'ferent thickness whereby' to forma sleeve of different internal diameters. Y i

4. A, projectile as in 'claim'l including'in cornbination a' pair of fins and means,` for securing one of said fins to each of said separable members.

5. Al projectile as in claim l in which said body adapted Vtov be supported by said' parachute comprisesl anilluminating candle.

6. A:v projectile as inclaim 1 inLwhicli said means for connectingsaid parachute to said body includes a. swivel permitting relative rotation between said parachute. and said body.

7. A projectile'as inclaim 1 in which said means for holding said separable members in assembled position comprises apair of elongated curved springlmexnbers. Y

l 8. A projectile as in claim 1 in'l which .said means for-holding said separable members in assembled position includes av pair of elongated curved spring .members said spring members having their lower edgesl formed along the locus of a circle having a smaller radius vthan the external diameter of said sleeve and their upper edges formed along the locus of an ellipse having its major axis shorter than the external diameter of said sleeve. t Y

9. A projectileas in claiml l'in'which said means for' holding said separable members in as 'sernbled position includes a pair of elongated spring membersformed with a curved cross section,mea"ns carriedby saidV separable members for holding theu'pper edges of said springs yadjacent the exteriorfsurfaces' of said separable members-1' a pair'fof'k links 'respectively secured to one of. `therespective spring members adjacentvtheir lower ends and 'releasable means for securing saidl'inks-to each other. Y

10.-A projectile asin claim 1 4in-:wliich said means for holding said separable menib'ers in assenabledv position'i includes: al pair of elongated springt .member'slfformed f with,` a curved lcross sectio'nf means v'czarried by. said vseparable members for holding'. the upper edges of said springs adjacent thev exterior" surfaces of .said separable members# a pair of .links -respectively secured tov one ofithe respective spring members adjacent their lower.end's,:fusible means for releasably securing: said .links to leach other and said time delay means comprises a powder train `adapted tobeignitedby. saidk expelling charge for fusing said fusiblemeans after a predetermined interval of time.

11. A.projectileasin claim 1 in which Vsaid time delay-means' lfor4 rendering vsaid sleeveholding means inoperative' comprises a pair of links.; fusiblefmeans for holding said links, in connectedvrelation; and a powder-train adapted to be 'ignited 'from` said expelling charge for fusing said fusible means after a predetermined intervali of; time.A Y f Y 12;:Agprojectile asin claim 1 in which said separable members are formed with an internal groove and a coverdisk having its edges positioned within said-5 groove. vr13; A projectile as in claim 1 including in combination aV disk positioned between said canister and said expelling charge, said separable members extending betweensaid disk and said cover -plate-whereby-to transmit the thrust of said expellingcharge to release said releasable plate-holding means.v f Y 14. A projectile as in claim 1 including in combination a disk positionedbetween said canister and said expelling charge, said time delay means includingya powder train and a port in said disk to permit said expelling charge to ignite said powder train. l. l 1 5. Agprojectile as in claim 1 in* which said body adapted-'to be supported by said parachute comprises a casirig, .pyrotechnic illuminating composition positioned in said casing, said time delay means for rendering'said sleeve-holding meansinoperative including a powder train and means forigniting said pyrotechnic illuminating composition; from .said powder. train.

16. Agprojectile asinv clairn 1 -in which said coverplate is` formed with a rabbet, said cover plate contacting Vsaid separable canister members in theregion of said rabbetwhereby to form a v-recess therewith, a pilotdisk having its edgesjpositioned-in said recess 'and means for connecting Asaid pilotdisk to saidv parachute.

17. -A projectileas-in claim 1 in which the upper surface oi l said separable canister members are formedl with a rabbet adapted to form a recess With Ysaid -cover plate, a pilot disk having its edges-positioned in said recessand means for connecting said pilot disk to said parachute.

f 18;.In' a deviceof the characterdescribed, a canister comprising a sleeve formed by a plurality of 'separable members, a parachute housed Withinisaidcanister,'a body within said canister adapted,y to lbe-*supported by'said parachute, meansY for connecting said bodyv to said parachute,'means for lholding said sleeves in assembled position'andtime delay means for rendering said sleeves-holding means inoperative after a predetermined interval ofr time whereby to permitsaid separable members toV separate to free said parachute for. the support of said body.

19. A device as in claim 18 in which-said time delay .means `includes a powder train, a member adapted to2; be; rendered ineiectiveimder the influence'jofpthegheatpf' combustion pfsaid powder train, said member being normally under tension and positioned in proximity to said powder train.

20. A device as in claim 18 in which said time delay means includes a powder train, a fusible member adapted toV be melted under the inuence of the heat of combustion of said powder train, said member being normally under tension and positioned in proximity to said powder train.

21. A device as in claim 18 in which said time delay means includes a powder train, a combustible member adapted to be burned under the inuence of the heat of combustion of said powder train, said member being normally under tension and positioned in proximity to said pow- Vder train.

LEONARD P. FRIEDER. WALTER s. FINKEN.

REFERENCES CITED file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,305,186 Bergman May 27, 1919 1,305,187 Bergman May 27, 1919 1,305,188 Bergman May 27, 1919 1,309,982 Darling July 15, 1919 v1,365,865 Svejda Jan.'18, 1921 2,175,477 McEntegart Oct. 10, 1939 2,362,534 Brandt Nov. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 862,450 France Dec. 9, 1940 

